Oh, simple thing, where have you gone?
I’m getting old, and I need something to rely on (...)
And if you have a minute, why don’t we go
Talk about it somewhere only we know? - Somewhere Only We Know by Keane
Seven years had passed since the Wicked Witch of the West disintegrated as if she had never existed, without even a single trace to remember her by, except for the pointy hat she wore proudly. As if she had never been Elphaba Thropp. Her Elphie was gone, reduced to nothing, and Galinda Upland’s soul was shattered. No magic or curse can heal a broken spirit. Not when her other half was gone forever.
Glinda the ‘Good Witch’ didn’t have any regrets, but Galinda Upland, on the other hand, harbored the biggest regret nestled deep in her heart. She should have gone with Elphie when she had the chance. A fleeting moment to defy gravity alongside the woman she loved, loves, turned into dust, and New Year’s like this weighted even more at the lost opportunity.
Her feet guided her to the only place she ever felt some sort of serenity.
Their old bedroom.
The people of Oz all came to the consensus of banning that place, for the sole reason that it could be cursed or wicked like the witch. Yet tonight, with the streets and air filled with jubilation and expectations of a New Year, it just made the ache of another year without Elphie unbearable.
Desperate for something to ground her, Glinda found herself in the middle of the room. It was unchanged, as if the passing of time hadn’t hit this place, save for the fine layer of dust that had settled all over the place. Aside from that, it felt frozen in time, a snapshot of fragments of the time they shared here.
She began to pace, her heels echoing around the silence as the echoes of the past filled her thoughts. Glinda could still hear Elphaba’s soft laugh ringing in her ears when she made a dilemma about their color scheme not matching sometimes with the parties Pfanne and Shenshen would throw. As she stood in front of the shattered mirror, she could almost see Elphie rolling her eyes before that knowing gaze softened, sending Glinda’s insides into a blaze aching for the woman.
A tear slipped down her cheek, then another, until they streamed silently. She didn’t wipe them away; the sorrow was grounding in its way. She was about to turn and leave when the glass door to the balcony creaked open. Her heart stopped. Her breath hitched.
There, silhouetted against the starlit sky, stood Elphaba. She looked older and even more beautiful than she remembered. Also impossibly vibrant, but more importantly, alive in front of her, as though no time had passed since their last goodbye. Glinda’s body froze, disbelief rooting her in place until a single, desperate thought broke through: she was real.
Before she knew it, she had thrown herself into Elphaba’s arms. The warmth, the solidness, it all felt too vivid to be a dream.
“Come with me,” Elphaba whispered, clutching Glinda’s form tightly. Her voice held a flicker of a spark of the fire that had always burned within her.
Glinda disentangled from her hold until Elphaba’s hands were still holding on to her waist, their chests almost touching. Glinda stared at her, her lips trembling as she drank in the face. She had thought she’d never see again. The fireworks outside painted the room in dazzling bursts of light, illuminating Elphaba’s profile. She looked just as she had the day Glinda had fallen hopelessly in love with her. There was no hesitation this time. None at all.
She nodded, a soft, radiant smile breaking through her tears. “I can’t wait to be unlimited together.”
Elphaba’s lips quirked into a grin as she cradled Glinda’s face. Their foreheads touched, their breaths mingled, and then, finally, they kissed. The sensation was electric, sending tingles through every fiber of Glinda’s being. As they broke apart, their hands intertwined steadfastly, as if anchoring one another to this moment, terrified it might slip away like so many others.
The fireworks outside exploded into a crescendo of light and sound, but Glinda barely noticed. All she felt was Elphaba’s presence and love. In that moment, with hearts beating in perfect harmony, Glinda knew this was the beginning of a new chapter. Together, they would rewrite their story, defying every force that had tried to keep them apart.
Unlimited, at last.